Princes of Thieves
by Asami Yuu
Summary: A Thousand Years had passed, but the Cursed Children fate remains the same. They are not allow to return home. The path of loneliness and despair. When will there be salvation? Why do they have to suffer? NO YAOI. AU HaruxTama and other pairing
1. The Beginning

This a story with the host club in a different time period. For all of those that want to see the host club in action with a different storyline and new plot, but the mention of the host club certain events are still in here. It's a new journey for them to find love... I got to find a better way to say this. There's no yaoi. Anyway just read the first chapter and figure it out yourself if it's good or not.

Wahoo... A new story on the first day of the new year... A toast!

**And note to self this is "The Beginning" The pairing shall be reveal later on. Love doesn't starts out fast!**

I don't own OHSHC

**(The host club members WILL grow up soon)**

* * *

**The Beginning**

It was like any other night. The stars were shining so brightly it was as if time has stopped. The town was quiet and peaceful. The fireplace kept the people nice and warm. Families were safe and cozy in their homes just like any other night; however, that was not the case for a pair of brothers. Two sad and lonely boys in tattered clothes were sitting in a dark and cold abandon house. One of them appears to be thinking deeply, sitting on the rotten and dusty staircase. He didn't seem to mind all the spider webs surrounding him. It was as if he was in a trance while he drew circles on the dusty floor with a long stick. The other boy was swinging his wooden sword in rage, smashing pieces on furniture repetitively. He stopped every few seconds to relax his breathing before swinging again.

"Hikaru," said the ten year old boy, looking at his brother with his golden eyes. The older twin wiped off the sweat and ran a hand through his messy dirty orange hair.

"What is it, Kaoru?" the older sibling asked, dropping down his wooden toy sword that their decease parents had given them. He took a seat next to his brother and threw an arm over his shoulder.

"That night... Was it..." Kaoru started, but he stopped himself and stared at the ground again. "... Um... Never mind."

"... Okay..." Hikaru knew very well what Kaoru wanted to talk about, but it was too painful to even think about it. He decided to change the subject. His eyes explored the wooden room from one place to another. He noticed that the shelves and the cabinet were most likely empty. Looking at them, it reminded him that they didn't have any more money to buy food and their food supply has all but diminished to nothing. The rumble in his stomach gave him an idea for a change of subject. "So are you hungry then?" It wasn't the most pleasant and the smartest choice of subject to talk about, but it was better then remembering _that_ incident.

"Just a little..." Kaoru replied with a weak smile. In reality they were both starving to death, but neither would admit it. They have to be strong considering the situation they were in. After losing their parents, they had no where to go except to this deserted building. They didn't have any relatives they knew of or any close friends for that matter. The only friends they ever made were each other.

"Stay here, I'll go get some food," declared Hikaru standing up and jumping down the staircase.

"But how? We can't go back to our house and our parents are gone Hikaru," said Kaoru going after him. Hikaru didn't answer; instead he responded by placing his hands on Kaoru's shoulders and gently made him sit back down on the ground.

"Just stay here. I'll be back," assured Hikaru. He was about head to the door, but Kaoru grabbed his hand. "What is it, Kaoru?"

"I want to come with you," he explained. "... You're going to steal aren't you?"

"We can't stay like this for long," said Hikaru. "We can't just die without trying."

"Then I'm coming too. I don't want us to be apart."

"... Kaoru... I think-"

"We just lost our parents, Hikaru. I don't want to lose you either!" the little boy cried for the first time since their parents were murder on that bloody night. Hikaru and Kaoru had been returning from school, but by the time they reached to their destination, their house was already burned down to the ground. They had even spotted the murderers. Why did they do that? They lived in a modest home, a normal life... so why? What have their family done to deserve this?

Hikaru turn his attention back to Kaoru. Although he knew that it would have been a lot safer for Kaoru to stay in the building, he just can't possibly leave him in such state. He wanted to protect his brother, but how can he protect him when he was scared as well? If they were to loot some houses together he wouldn't be as worried, and there would be a better chance for it to be a successful mission. However, if they were both caught... Hikaru pushed that thought away. When the time comes down to it they'll act.

He took a deep breath, "... Fine. Let's go."

They exited the house and walked through the forest pathway. Every movement the animals made their heart jump. For all they know someone might come out of the bushes and attack them. They were holding their hands together and slowly and silently crept into the market street in the middle of the night. It was their first time out of their hiding spot and the night time was quite unusual for them. The only sound that could be heard was the soothing songs made by the crickets and small movements made by the wind or wild life creatures. It was an understatement to say they were just scared of being caught. They were more worried about losing the other.

Hikaru and Kaoru snuck into the nearest house that had an open window. If they were in the right state of mind they would have considered what kind of household they were looting from. They walked through the vast living room, ignoring the pile of money that was lying in front of them. Needless to say, they wanted food more then anything to be thinking straight.

The house they snuck in was more like a mansion because they ended up getting lost. As each second pass they began to grow anxious and nervous. Kaoru squeezed his brother hand tighter and his twin did the same. It was as if they will gain some kind of miracle or confident that would come to aid them in their time of desperate need.

"Hikaru. I think the kitchen is over there," whispered Kaoru, taking the lead. Hikaru eyes explored the room. He started to jump a little to see over the counter. There's bound to be food at the top.

"Kaoru, help me get on the counter," Hikaru whispered back. Kaoru bent over so his twin would be able to climb up his back. It was a little hard at first because of the struggle to stay on both feet, but they eventually got the hang of it. "Almost there..." Hikaru had two arms on the counter and he quickly threw one leg onto the counter. Once he balanced himself, a small satisfied smile crept onto his face. He carefully opened one of the wooden cabinets so it wouldn't squeak loudly. He tossed down some bread and dried meat to Kaoru and hold on to some more bread and fruits himself.

As Hikaru cautiously attempted to get down from the counter safely, a young girl was walking down the stairs to get a cup of water. Her long brown hair bouncing from side to side with every step she took. When she turns the corner, she nearly dropped her candle. She quickly retraced her steps and watched the scene with her bright brown eyes, letting curiosity get the better of her. She watched the two bickering about how to get down from the counter top safely.

"Get me a ladder," demanded Hikaru.

"There is no time to find a ladder!" retorted Kaoru. "Besides what kind of ladder would be as high as the counter you're on?"

"I guess I should place the food down," said Hikaru.

"That's what I have been trying to tell you the past few minutes."

"You did?"

"You were more worried about being caught to pay any attention to me," Kaoru pouted, crossing his arms. Kaoru spotted some bags that were left in the corner from the corner of his eyes and he ran to get them. "Hikaru, throw me down the food," whispered Kaoru. "I found some bags."

Hikaru stood again with the food in his arms. "Alright." They began passing down the food and the girl tilted her head. Something wasn't right. All of her foster mother's customers left and their place was closed for the night, so why were there two kids in the kitchen?

"Umm... Excuse me... What are you two doing?" she asked. Hikaru jumped a little and lost his balance, dropping the rest of the food that were in his arms. He bumped into a couple of dishes, but he managed to grab the counter before falling down onto the floor, his feet were dangling in mid-air. Once he calmed down, he noticed that the dishes on the counter top were swaying back and forth. His eyes grew wide. Slowly, the dishes fell over the counter and shattered into pieces with a loud clash. He rolled his eyes and banged his head as the result.

Kaoru winced. Hikaru glared. The girl stared. There was an awkward silence until they heard a herd of footsteps rushing down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Haruhi! Haruhi! I heard some noises. What are you doing down here by yourself?!" a woman scolded. "You should be upstairs sleeping!"

"I was only here to get a drink," the girl replied.

"Don't talk back-"

"You shouldn't be so rough on her," another woman interjected. "It's okay sweetie, let's go back upstairs."

"I'm more concerned about the shattering of the dishes," said another. All of the women stared at the twins as the brothers back up. "Thieves!"

Hikaru and Kaoru quickly gathered up the food and tried to find the way out of the house. They ran while holding hands and their other hand holding the bag of food. There were a couple of shouts behind their backs, but never once did they turn their backs. The house was a maze. Dead ends here and dead end there with pictures that seem to follow your every move. Hikaru let out a frustrated sighed while Kaoru stays composed. The hallways were even scarier. If they got cornered in these death traps, there was no way they'll be able to escape. Tired and mad, Hikaru threw a vase at a window but there wasn't even a single dent on it. Hearing the calls behind their backs again, they ran away.

The house was filled with screams. "Shut up all of you old hags!" Hikaru yelled in the hallway. Kaoru covered his mouth. Hikaru was never the one to hold back what he thinks when he's mad.

"Hikaru, do want to get caught?" Kaoru hissed, pulling him into a room. Hikaru muffled into his brother hands about something that sounded like "It's not my fault." The two of them patiently wait for all the women to run pass the room they were in. Taking a deep breath they ran out of the room, but they accidentally bumped into the young girl, dropping down their bags of food. Hikaru and Kaoru stared at the bags falling to the next floor. Their first attempt at stealing was useless and pointless.

"There they are!" the person pointed at them from the ground level. Perfect. Just _perfect._

"You shouldn't steal," the girl simply said. The twins glared at the girl. It was all her fault. If she didn't get in the way they wouldn't have drop their bags. If she hadn't gone into the kitchen they wouldn't get caught. The girl took out a dark blue bag that had flower designs with some money in it and hand it to them. The twins stared at the bag in her hands with a suspicious look. "You should go buy food with this." Was this pity? They didn't want pity. However, this wasn't the time to be thinking about their pride. It was a matter of life or death situation that made Hikaru react and take the money. The girl just stared at the two running figures with a deadpan look. Her brown eyes remain emotionless. Everyone must have their reasons...

"Haruhi! Where did those devils go?" a woman asked, her eyes were filled with rage.

"They went that way," Haurhi pointed in the direction opposite from the twins. The ladies nodded and went in the direction Haruhi pointed out.

... But was this the right thing to do? _Mom... Would you have done the same thing? Would you have helped them?_

Luckily the twins were able to find the same window they entered from. They ran into the dark forest, tripping every once in a while when they weren't looking where they were going. It wasn't as scary as before thanks to the adrenaline pumping through their veins. Once they were certain they were safe, they dropped onto their knees breathing heavily.

"We escaped," said Hikaru.

"Barely..." Kaoru breathed.

Their eyes locked on the bag that was in Hikaru's hand. He took a peek inside. It was a decent amount and should be enough to keep them half-full for... at the most three days.

A deep sigh was released. "Next time, let's come up with a plan first," they said in unison.

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Alright please review bad or good, otherwise I might not continue this story. I was a little iffy at start this story, maybe because it was awkward, and I'm not so sure about it. So what would make this chapter better? Any ideas?

So maybe Hikaru and Kaoru doesn't sound like their age, maybe because they're very bright. And the counter was really tall for some reason...

Editors note- HI EVERYONE! WOOHO I EDITED! … *crickets chirping*… *coughs in fist* sorry about that I'm just excited and happy. *gasp* I can actually call myself an editor now yippy!

**rubyparker93:** Anyway, Hi everyone please review because author-san likes reviews, and author-san is my friend so I say you review. NOW! I'm not demanding I'm asking because everyone loves reviews and feedback almost always helps :D and sorry author-san I just had to write this. Lol you can totally delete this if you want.


	2. Rivers Current

I'm sorry this took me more than a month to update. I had to worry about school first and it's not going so well for math...

Don't assume the pairings because of the first few chapters. It doesn't means everything, however, I do understand why some people think that way. The plan is that it will be Tamaki and Haruhi pairing and it's most likely to happen. One more thing, **after this chapter everyone would grow up** and they may be a little OOC but come on **they're just KIDS**.

**I don't own OHSHC. Enjoy and please review ^_^**

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**Rivers Current**

_Two years later)_

One eleven year old girl stared at her mother and her co-workers serving their guest with mountains of food. Haruhi sighed. She wanted to study like the other kids on a day like this, however, her mother wouldn't allow her to... or rather her foster mother. Studying was a waste of time and money. Just a while ago, her mother yanked the book she was currently reading out of her hands.

Haruhi didn't like being lock up in her room nor was she interested about what her mother business does. This was one of those days where she can roam around the house freely. All she knew was that her mother business was filled with women that were considered pretty, flirting shamelessly with men to get what they want. Money. Haruhi didn't want to be like them. She may be young, but she was definitely not stupid.

From what she gathered, this wasn't just any kind of restaurant. It's a place where men would come to visit to have some special attention from women... whatever that means. She overheard some group of grown-ups talking about this place and from the tone of their voice; it was not good at all.

"Haruhi."

The brunette snapped out of her trance and turned around, "Yes mother?" she asked respectfully.

"Make yourself useful and help us out by serving dishes to the guest," she demanded, handing her the tray full of china and breakable dishes filled with food. Haruhi carefully tried to balance the dishes and almost ended up tripping over the small flight of stairs just below her. A person from behind, grabbed the tray and pulled Haruhi towards them so she wouldn't fall down.

"Ma'mam these dishes are delicate and I think she should do the laundry instead," one of her co-worker insisted. Her mother seemed to agreed so she allowed her employee to let her pick a job. "Come here, Haruhi."

Once they were alone, she handed Haruhi a basket of clothes, "Take this to the river and take your time and make sure these outfit are spotless." Haruhi nodded. Personally, she likes doing the laundry, because it allows her to have some alone time away from these ladies. Alone time is always nice. She quickly grabbed another book she had hidden from her mother and stuffed it in the pile of clothes.

"Well, I'm off," she declared.

Once she stepped outside of the busy building she stared at the book in her hand and the quill with the golden tip and a jewel encrypted in it. These were given by her decease mother before the day of the accident. Her foster mother adopted her from the orphanage out of pity.

She looked at the book. It seemed pretty old, the pages were yellow, and the cover was brown and has some odd symbols on it. There was also a lock in it. She was told by her mother that this was one of her favorite fairytale book. Since when does a story book have to have a lock on it? She tried to open the lock. Maybe today she'll find a way to open it.

* * *

"Mommy, why are we out here?" a young ocean blue eyes thirteen years old prince asked as he looked around the commoners' market. He leaned forward against a stall and awed at the sight of merchandise, unaware of the attention the royal family was getting.

"It's important to know our people, Tamaki," the queen replied with a gentle smiled. "In order to be a good king, you need to understand the people and how they are feeling and what they're going through." She tilted her head downward to look at her son face only to realize her son has "magically" disappear. "Tamaki?"

"Amazing... They're so pretty," he awed, looking at layouts of hair pins. The queen sweat dropped. He's not even listening to her.

"Tamaki, come back here. You shouldn't be wondering around by yourself," she warned, pulling him back to her side. She let out a sigh and wondered if it's too soon for Tamaki to be out here. "We should go back."

"Aww... no mommy!" he grinned. "Can't we be out here longer?"

"Let the young prince enjoy his time out here, your majesty," suggested one of her trusted head maid.

"We'll keep him safe," the knight assured.

The queen sighed. "I believe we should get back on the carriage. Tamaki keeps on disappearing from place to place." Tamaki stared at his mother and the maid discussing patiently, but after about five minutes he got bored and started to wonder away from the group.

The queen turned around to face Tamaki again, but he has disappeared. The queen almost smacked her maid by accident; because she swung her arms to point at the knight. She glared at them, and for good reason. It was a natural reaction. Her son was missing! He didn't know to fend for himself. What if he got hurt, kidnapped, or worse?! What about the future of the Aria Kingdom? She knew it was a bad idea to make Tamaki explored the market grounds when he couldn't pay any attention to his master in the first place! He would always find some way to escape his teachers lecture and gets away with it.

"Tamaki! Guards, you say you'll keep an eye on him!!"

"Sorry your highness!"

"Go find him now."

"Yes, your highness!" they saluted as they marched off to search for the missing prince.

As Tamaki walked around the busy grounds, he spotted a girl carrying a laundry basket filled with dirty dresses, walking down the stairs. She almost fell down if he hadn't reacted and jumped in to balance the basket for her. He then left quickly to wonder off around the market with fascination.

"Uh... thanks..." she mumbled to herself.

Haruhi eyed the boy. Judging from his outfit… Why would he be wondering around the market place alone when he was from a well family? Shrugging off her curiosity, she went to the meat shop and asked for some cooked chicken for later on during the day. As she takes out her money a boy shoved her shoulder while he was walking, making her dropped several coins onto the ground. "You should watch where you're going." The young boy stared at her and was about to apologize, but his parents came and dragged him away.

"You shouldn't be near that girl," the mother scolded. "The girl is a delinquent like her mother and would be bad influence on you." Haruhi remains cool and collected, she was used to it people talking behind her back. There was no point to explain that the adults wrong, because their pride always gets in the way. Haruhi bent down and picked up the coins, fumbling from time to time. She let out yet another sigh, this day wasn't starting out as great as she expected. Once the man gave her the freshly cooked chicken, she wrapped it with her napkin and stuffed it in her pocket. She then walked into the bakery and brought some bread.

The path to the forest wasn't hard to find, however, Haruhi decided to take a shortcut. The original path would usually have some travel salesperson throwing their stuff in front of innocent citizens to make them buy their stuff. Haruhi found that out the hard way, and would not like to be tormented again. She ended up using all of her money for useless hairpins. Traveling merchants have no mercy and she was only nine years old when that happened! Sadly everyone is a victim, although she remembered her mother was very happy with the hairpins though. Why do women like these pins? It wasn't in any way useful for daily life activity besides keeping their hair out of the way and she was looking forward to buy a fishing rod at that time too.

All of the sudden she tripped over some rock letting all the dirty dresses spill over. Haruhi scowled on the inside. Why can't one anyone buy some kind of wagon to make this job a little easier? That way she didn't have to make two trips back and forth. It enraged her when she had to wash the clothes all over again because of one simple careless mistake. It wasn't her fault at all! The basket she was carrying covered most of her eye-sight, making it difficult to move around. Haurhi quickly gathered the shattered clothes, hoping she this incident wouldn't happen again on her journey back.

Once she reached to the river deep inside the lush green forest, Haruhi placed down the laundry basket on a rock as she prepared the clothes line. The water felt nice and cool on this warm sunny day. She smiled to herself and took in the scenery she rarely gets to see. The birds were chirping ever so softly, the warm breeze blew her hair making it swished back and front, the grass felt soft and gentle, and the sound of the fast-pace moving river calms her soul.

It was away from the bustling and rustling marketplace. There was no noise, or pointless chit-chat. No merchants were there to hassle her into buying their stuff. No homeless people that sits around in self-pity. She never understand why they don't take action and do something to fix their states they're in. Why live the way they do? It's better off to do something about it.

"Huh... I wonder how the twins are doing?" she whispered to herself. It has been two years; one can not help, but think about it. She shrugged and stared at the clear blue sky and a soft gentle smiled spread across her face. The cloudless sky always, for some reason, reminded her of her real mother. Haruhi eyes soften as she lay back on the grass. There was never a time limit for the laundry. She can spend as much time as she wants to here as long she came home at a reasonable time.

She started to scrubbed the clothes to get rid some stains that were on it. She watched all the small fish swam away under the clear water because of the ripples she were causing. Her stomach growled. She sighed. Dinner would have to wait until she finished her job so it would have been more enjoyable. After she finished with one of the dresses, she went to the clothes line and hung it. Gently patting the cloth, a small white bird landed on the line.

"Not you again," Haruhi sighed. "Shoo now. Every time you come here you bring your friends along with you and I have to start the process all over again." She had no idea why she was talking to the bird. It obviously it does not understand a single word she's saying, yet whenever the bird come by it was as though it was mocking her. Usually the bird would land on the clothes making dirty marks on the clothing. Her mother would not be pleased with the imprint that's for sure.

Then she heard someone splashing the water. She followed the sound and noticed the same boy she bumped into from before. There was a small smile on his face when he looked at the sky. He looks like he wanted to jump in, however, the river was deep in the middle and even though current seems peaceful in a semi-fast moving rate, and it would not be wise to jump in. Although Tamaki wouldn't jumped in anyway, he doesn't know how to swim and neither does Haruhi.

Tamaki was relaxed. He didn't have anyone fussing over him or anyone who pretends to be his friends. He can be himself and doesn't have anyone putting him down for it. He leaned in closer to the river and splashed his face with the cold water. Although he can be quite childish sometimes, he understands everything that his teachers teaches and respect for his mother's kindness and strength. He rarely sees his father though.

Haruhi returned back to her work and her thoughts about the boy vanished when she noticed more of the same white birds except this time on the drying cloth. "Get off the clothes line now," she demanded. She began to swing her hands back and forth to get rid of the birds, but as soon they flap their wings they would land right back on the same spot once again. As much as she likes animals, she didn't appreciate these birds' annoyance.

Good thing Haruhi had brought some bread. She tore one loaf of bread to pieces and placed them all on the ground. Last time she tried this technique she was able to make the birds go away.

Meanwhile Tamaki was walking around the forest. Loneliness never felt so great. He didn't have to worry what people expect out of him. He can just be himself. Being prince isn't all that great. It takes a lot of work and no fun. He began to take a walk around the forest and making sure he was aware of his surroundings otherwise he would get lost. He spotted Haruhi struggling to keep her fair share of the bread from the birds while trying to eat her chicken. He also noticed there were a decent amount of clothes that were finished and drying, but some were on the ground, getting stain from the mud. Apparently, Haruhi decided to take a break after all.

"This is such a nuisance," she sighed, waving her arm at a bird. "Leave me alone! Go find someone else to bother!" What was with this place with birds? Is this what the townspeople meant by birds attacking travelers through parts of the forest? This doesn't seem much of a normal attack to Haruhi Fujioka. It was more like annoying her to death.

"Are you okay?" Tamaki asked.

"No, not really," she simply replied. Maybe she ought to find a new spot to wash and to hang out. "Argh... if you guys don't mind... I have a job to do!" She stood up abruptly from her spot and began the whole process over again. She picked up the clothes that were spread out on the ground due to the result of attempting to make the birds fly away elsewhere. Can't a kid take a break? So much for a relaxing carefree day…

Tamaki laughed slightly, amused. He began to help her by gathering up the clothes. Haruhi raised an eye-brow, but ignored it. It was nice to be kids around her age without being insulted most of the time.

"Here you go," he said, handing her the bundle he collected with a smile. Haruhi gave out a small, barely noticeable, smile. She quickly walked to him, hoping there wouldn't be another distraction since a new player had arrived into the game. She took the pile from his hands and began to bring it over to the river. Tamaki tilted his head to the side a little. For some reason, he finds a commoner, not a maid, washing clothes strangely interesting. What kind of method do they use? Instead of a tub of hot water they used back at the castle. He walked towards Haruhi, making the leaves rustle underneath his feet. He lean over Haruhi's shoulder and grinned. After a moment of silent, he pops up a question. "Is that any fun?"

Haruhi felt her heart quicken rapidly out of fright. His sudden appearance is like a ghost! However, she didn't jump to indicate that she was frightened. "I suppose."

"Really? Can I try?"

Harihi sighed. "Why? This isn't play time. I've to finish this."

"I can help!"

"No thanks." Tamaki pouted and went to sit down next to the tree, bored. Haruhi felt a little guilty, but she had other matters to worry about. For one, the birds came back to disturb her work. She really needs to find a new spot. It may have a pretty view, but this was not worth the time. She swings her hand around again, knocking over the basket that still has some clothes in it. Her eyes widen. Luckily, she was able to catch the side of the basket fast enough, but a few outfit dropped out of the container. Haruhi dropped her forehead fall into the palm of her other hand. But then something else has fallen out of the basket. It was her book. She quickly reached for it, but Lady Luck just wasn't on her side today and it fell down into the shallow part of the water. Using this chance, she quickly tried to grab it, but it was too late. Haurhi bit her lips, but didn't cry. That was the last thing she wanted to do in this situation.

She ran towards the book, but missed it again. Any step closer would surely make her fall into deeper part of the water. Haruhi let out a defeat sighed. It was a storybook, her mother's favorite book... but her mother wouldn't want her to risk her life for it. Haruhi turned around and slipped backward into the deep side.

Haruhi tried to swim toward the surface, but the water engulfs her. She started flapping her hands about and her legs in panic. If she knew how to swim, this wasn't the correct way. Under the water, it was so dark and cold and everything seems so lifeless now, but Haruhi would not give up without a fight.

Tamaki eyes widen and he went into the river to help the helpless girl, forgetting the fact he couldn't swim either. Once he was in the water he tried to paddle towards Haruhi and grabbed her by the side. He was able to stay just above water, kicking his feet rapidly under the water. They were moving along the current and Tamaki quickly scanned for an escape before sinking back down under the water. He uses his free hand and moved it away from his body. This made floating above water that much easier, so he spread out his legs. He spotted a white bird flying towards a bunch with a vine hanging down. He reaches out for it and grabs it. Thankfully the vine was still connected to the tree.

Haruhi took a deep breathe and rubbed her eyes once they were back on shore. She starts coughing out water while she pats her chest. Tamaki took a seat next to her and fell onto his back, hoping that he didn't have to do that again. From the corner of their eyes, they spotted the clothes and the book floating peacefully. Haruhi glared at them, but she knew it was her fault for letting this happened.

Tamaki noticed a net lying down next to a tree nearby. It must have been left behind a long time ago by some unknown fisherman. He ran and picked up the wooden handle side of the net and climbed a tree. It was a good thing he was fast enough to climb the tree and wait for the floating items comes to him. Haruhi stared at the boy, her eyes widen. What was he doing? Doesn't he know how dangerous it was?!

"Hey, get down from there," she yelled.

"I do this all the time," he said with a carefree smiled. "Don't worry."

If she was human, and she's pretty she was, she has the right to worry. She will not be responsible for a person death and live her life with guilt. As much she wanted to get the book back, she didn't want to risk someone else life. She shoved her hands into her pockets and let out a relieved sigh. At least the quill was still with her. She noticed birds flying around him and she panic. She could have sworn those nosy birds smirked at her. How she wish she would chose a different spot.

"Hey! You guys! Don't make this harder than it has to be!" she accused, yelling at the birds. Tamaki didn't seem to notice the difference or how harmful the birds can be. He was too focused on gathering up the lost possession. Haruhi started to hit the tree he was on.

"Get down from there you idiot!"

"S-Stop causing an earthquake!" he shouted back with wide eyes. "I'm going to drop the net and I'm not going to risk my life to get it back."

"Forget about the net!" she glared. How could he think about the net at a time like this? She hadn't met such a strange person like this kid before, and frankly she's getting scare of his actions. "You shouldn't be up there in the first place if you can't swim!"

"I'm just helping you out, princess," he pouted.

"Don't call me that!" she yelled. Tamaki lend over the branch and waited for the current to push the clothes and book into his net. Once the item entered the net he tried to bring it up.

"It's a little heavy..." he complimented.

"Then let go of the damn thing!"

"A girl should not be using such forbidden language!" he gasped, letting go of the net due to his distraction. Tamaki snapped his attention back to the net and stared at it slowly drifting away. He mentally scolded himself and went back to lend against the tree, still on the sturdy branch. "I've failed." A bird landed on his shoulder and he smiled. "These guys aren't so bad."

Haruhi rolled her eyes. Those birds were one of the reasons why this happen. Killer birds. As she stared at the floating net, she hoped no one would notice the missing dresses.

"You know, they just happen to save our lives," said Tamaki.

Or maybe they were trying to watch how they'll die, Haruhi thought to herself. She stared sadly at her mother's book... If fate shall have it, it would return to her someday.

It was almost night time so Haruhi stood up and began to walk back to the area from before. "Listen, thanks for saving me... I can handle by myself now. You should go home now." Haruhi quickly left the scene, feeling rather embarrasses. She was so used to being independent that she felt it bruised her pride.

Before Tamaki could even respond, someone called out to him.

"Your Highness!"

Tamaki wanted to let out a disappointed sigh but instead, "Oh it's you guys," Tamaki grinned at the knights, running a hand through his wet dripping hair sheepishly. He was going to get lecture once he got back into the castle.

"You know you shouldn't be wondering off like that," they said. "... The queen is going to sentence us to death," they continued after spotting the prince was soaked to the bone.

"I know, I know," he sighed.

"If you want to take over the kingdom you should start acting more like a prince."

"Hai, hai."

Tamaki left with the knights. "Huh... I never catch her name." But even if he did, it was most likely he wouldn't see her again anyway.

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Review please, it helps a lot!


	3. Moonlight Creature Tales

I'm sorry this took so long to update, but I was pretty busy and I'm afraid this is a short chapter T_T The next one will be longer, I swear! I didn't have tome to edit this... Sorry T_T **Anyway, all the host club members WILL be in this story, but they don't know each other**. The beauty of a growing friendship xD

I don't own OHSHC

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**Moonlight Creature Tales**

(Hikaru and Kaoru 14 years old)

"Kaoru, what are you doing?" Hikaru asked when he saw Kaoru, outside in the sun, lying down on the grass.

"I'm reading one of the novels that was left behind in this house," Kaoru answered his brother, flipping to the next page. A little while ago, Hikaru was covered in dust and spider webs for attempting to move out all the broken furniture out of the house. As for Kaoru, he was cleaning upstairs. As he was removing dust off the cabinets, he found several old interesting books. Looking outside the window, he decided to take a break and relax since it was a nice day.

"What's the book about?" Hikaru asked, taking a seat next to him with an exhausted sigh. He stretched his arm to smooth out his muscle.

"It's about the moon and there are some interesting legends about it. There's the Goddess of the color changing moon, Ayaka, and the God of life giving moon, Tsubasa," he replied. He stared at the blue moon. "Ayaka is always present during the day and night. It is say that she gives out prediction of the future by changing colors at every full moon. She's also known as the Goddess of Love. Fairies can only live because of her rays."

"What a busy Goddess," Hikaru mumbled, falling down flat on his back. He yawned and closed his eyes. Gods and Goddesses… He had other thing he rather do with his free time.

"While Tsubasa rays gives out moon light to the creatures of the dark and control the tides of the ocean. It seems certain plants and animals can't live without the moon special rays... Supposedly they're both brother and sister and are friends with the Sun Goddess, Miu."

"Uh huh," Hikaru replied, bored. He was slowly going off to dreamland because of the subject.

"However these two gods were planning to conquer the sun for reason untold…"

"Don't most legend tell why?"

"Well, the some of the pages are torn. So far, it only talks about what they do and their role, but there are some markings in the back of the book … I can't make them out."

"Never knew you were into mystical being, Kaoru," said Hikaru, although he knew Kaoru liked history. "It's just a bunch of fairytales." Hikaru pointed at the picture of a flower blooming under the moonlight rays. It has multiple identical flowers growing in the middle. "Have you ever seen this kind of flower before?"

"No."

"Fairies?"

"No."

"See? There's no such as thing as moon beings. The moon is just there to light up the dark sky during the night."

Kaoru smiled and closed the book. "I'm pretty sure there are some plants that do absurd the moonlight energy. You should at least read the book."

"Naw, those kinds of books doesn't interest me," he said, waving the subject off. "And why would people name the moon after them in the first place if they were corrupted?"

"This is an old book," said Kaoru, "besides a lot of info are missing."

"Which is why it's pointless to read."

"But it's interesting…"

"Whatever, we should clean up the house," said Hikaru. Kaoru grinned and shrugged.

"I guess so."

They entered back in the house and went upstairs. "How many years have we been in this house?"

"Four," Kaoru answered, sorting out the closet. While he was pulling out clothes, he spotted a chest behind boxes. He walked closer and examined it. _It has been four years and somehow we overlooked this chest, _he opened and it revealed…

"Joy, more books," said Hikaru, suddenly appeared right next to Kaoru.

"More time to kill," said Kaoru, flipping through the pages.

"You can look through those books all you want. I'm going to get ready for tonight."

"Where are we off to?" said Kaoru.

"Where ever the wind takes us," Hikaru joked, making fun of one of the so called legends he learned as a kid.

Kaoru shook his head and tried to drag the chest out of the closet. It was too heavy, and so he decided to continue to take out books out of the rusty chest. He looked out of the window, sunset. Once he finished taking out the books, he carried them downstairs to put on the shelves. As he was walking down, a strong wind entered the house and it was almost strong enough to push him down due to his attempt to balance the books. Fortunately, one book fell.

He watched the book as it fell down each steps, but surprisingly the book never open. Kaoru set down the books by the corner after cautious walking. He looked at the fallen book and opened up the pages. But there were no pages. It was a box disguised as a book. There was golden chain necklace attached with a diamond shaped aqua blue gemstone that had some rings around it. It was the same color as the moon Ayaka.

He lifted up the jewel, "Why is it in here?" he wondered, he spotted an arrow in the box as well. "An arrow? Did someone used to go hunting around here?" When he looked at the jewel again, it mysteriously turned into a light forest green. Furrowing his eyebrows, he stood up and bumped into Hikaru.

"What's the matter? You seem troubled," stated Hikaru.

"I found this gem in one of the books," said Kaoru, handing it to Hikaru.

"Maybe we can trade this for some money. It looks pretty expensive."

"I don't know. I think I might hold on to it," said Kaoru, snatching the necklace out of Hikaru's hand and putting it into his bag. He walked out of the house and took a deep breathe. He stared into the sky and Ayaka. It was another full moon which mean the color changed from blue to green. Quickly, he took out the necklace and held it up. It has the same color. "A stone that changes color along with the moon… that's strange. Maybe it's just coincidence," he shrugged, putting it back into his bag.

"We can sell the arrow though, right?" Hikaru asked. Kaoru stared at it, the tiny stone on the tip changed color as well. Hikaru looked at Kaoru. "Fine, we'll keep it then. I'm saying food would be more pleasurable."

"Huh?"

"I don't need to ask to know what you want," smirked Hikaru. Kaoru smiled and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Are you ready to go?"

"I'm always ready."

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_(4 more years later… Hikaru and Kaoru 18)_

"Hurry up, Kaoru. It's almost sunrise," urged Hikaru.

"And who fault would that be?" asked Kaoru, narrowing his eyes at his twin. Hikaru turned around and looked at the surroundings as if he was too busy scanning the area to even hears what his twin just said. Hikaru overslept and Kaoru suggested they should skip a day of thievery and relax if he was too tired. However, Hikaru, being the stubborn twin, wouldn't let that happen because of him. Kaoru shrugged his shoulders and continued to pick the lock. He fiddled with the pad until it opened with a click; he began stuffing the items into his bag.

"Kaoru, someone is coming downstairs," Hikaru whispered, grabbing his bag. "Let's get out of here."

"I'm almost done."

Hikaru felt something soft and furry touched his leg. He slowly turned around and saw two pair of bright yellow eyes. Out of fright, he jumped back and knocked over some barrels of apple. As the apples fell down, they hit Hikaru's head while the creature slowly retreats from the scene quietly.

"Ow…"

"Oh boy," Kaoru sighed with his eyes closed, dropping one coin from the chest to his bag. "Nice fall."

"Thieves!"

Upon hearing the word, the twins stared at one of the other. "Race you?" they asked together. Smirking at each other, they sprint and Kaoru picked up one of the apples that were on the ground while he was at it. Since the shop keeper was still flabbergasted, the twins were able to pass him with no trouble. As soon he realized this though, he dropped the lantern he was currently holding and ran after them.

"You got the goods, Kaoru?"

"Hai. It's all in this here bag, Hikaru," Kaoru answered, lifting up the stolen goods.

"Stop them!" a man's voice called out. Breathing heavily, he spotted guards patrolling the city. He ran up to them and explained the situation.

The twins glanced behind their backs, once they heard armors clinking behind them.

"You had to go and accidentally knocked over the barrels of apples didn't you?" asked Kaoru, taking a bite of the apple. "You're losing your touch."

"Hey, blame it on the black cat!" said Hikaru, remembering a stray cat dashed right passed him and he ended falling into the barrel just so he wouldn't land on it. "It's a sign of bad luck."

"Oh really? Admit it. You were scared of a harmless-"

"Kaoru," he warned, although he couldn't deny the fact that he was a little terrified of the harmless creature. A little. Just a little.

"Fine, fine," Kaoru grinned. They ran through the city maze, turning and twisting at the curve until they hit a dead end.

"Aww hell," said Hikaru, banging his head against the wall. From the corner of his eyes, he spotted a hidden pathway and dragged Kaoru through it. Unfortunately he didn't saw the pathway sooner, because the guards were right behind them. "They just won't give up." As they ran the twins split up hoping that they would confuse the guards.

Using the cold and dark early morning to their advantage, Hikaru hid in shadows. He watched all the running man run past him. He grinned, taking one backward step at a time; the boy thought he had finally escaped.

"Where do you think your going little boy?" Hikaru slowly looked up to the guard. He tried to jump away as quickly as possible, but the man caught him by the ankle. Hikaru quickly took out his knife, but before he can even use it, it was knocked out of his hand when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach.

"Bastard," he groaned, holding onto the spot where he was kicked.

On the rooftop, Kaoru has a triumph smirk on his face, walking proudly. He was finally able to escape from the guards after running around the market and bouncing from rooftop to rooftop. He looked down from where he was at and sighed at the sight. Too bad Hikaru didn't have much luck. Kaoru took one more bite from the half-eaten apple before throwing it at the guard. It hit him with a bang, and when the guard was about to turn around, Kaoru jumped down from the building.

"Heads up!" Kaoru called out. He slammed the body down to the ground, causing the guard to blackout. Kaoru grinned at Hikaru and pretended to dust his black outfit. "You're having a bad day aren't you?"

"You think so, dear brother?" Hikaru asked sarcastically. He stared at his brother picking up the apple again and wiping the dirt off. "You're not going to eat that are you?"

"No. I thought we can give it to the horse at the farm on our way back?"

"The horse would appreciate it if you weren't giving it leftover, Kaoru," Hikaru laughed.

"It's better than wasting food," Kaoru pouted. Hikaru picked up his bag and threw it over his shoulder, but he didn't realized there was a hole in his bag and all the coins fell on to the ground, the banging of metals pierce the morning quiet and cold air.

"That reminds me… I left my bag… up there," said Kaoru, pointing at the top of the building.

"Do you hear something?" one of the guards asked.

"Over there!"

"Aww, come on!" groaned Hikaru, slapping his forehead. They dashed and chase started all over again. "If I see that black cat again… That cursed black cat and its menacing yellow eyes."

They quickly jumped onto the crates and onto the roof top of a stand. Kaoru grabbed a rope and started climbing with his brother. Once they reach the rooftop, Kaoru took out a knife and cut the rope so the pursuer wouldn't have any chance to catch up to them. Collapsing onto the ground, the brothers allowed themselves to rest.

"What are you doing?" a brunette girl asked.

"..." The twins narrow their eyes at the girl in her pink robes. She has huge brown eyes, long brown hair that reach to her waist, and she look like she was around their age. The girl stared at them; there was no trace of fear in her eyes. Hikaru took out his knife. They couldn't let anyone catch them especially not by some girl.

"You shouldn't be stealing," the girl said with a stoic face. "You should be earning money through hard work."

"It's too late in the game for that," said Kaoru.

"Move out of the way or we'll be force to silent you," finished Hikaru. The girl didn't make any sign that she would move. She merely stared at them. The twins made no move either, but they didn't like the stare they were getting from her. Was she pitying them or was she looking down of them? However, her cold stare made it impossible to decipher. Hikaru squeezed his knife. This was them getting no where.

"You're stealing away people hard work."

Then the look of realization dawn on Hikaru's face. "You're…" It was the same girl from eight years ago. However, they never got to see each other again because the girl and her mother business moved elsewhere. "You say that, but we know about your family business. Ladies in your mother place would go so far for money."

"Lying their ways to earn money, flirting with men and making them drunk. What difference is that from stealing?" Kaoru continued. "Lying is just as bad."

"At least we're doing what we have to, to survive."

"And you're telling us we're stealing away people hard work?" they asked.

Haruhi was unfazed. "At least I chose not to participate in such ways. At least I refuse to be like them."

"Then what do you do?" they asked.

Suddenly they heard footsteps getting closer to them. The guards. Somehow the guards managed to find the staircase that reached to the top. Seeing there wasn't any choice, Hikaru dashed to the girl side and placed his knife against her neck with Kaoru beside him. Slowly and carefully the twins went to the edge of the building. Kaoru looked down from the building. There were no ledges or any ropes to aid them in their escape. The only thing below was the calm river. Kaoru sighed. Not only they were trapped, got an innocent girl into their plan, they even lost the food and the handful of money they stole.

"Release the girl and turn yourself in," demanded the guard.

"For a couple loaf of bread?" Kaoru scoffed.

"You should turn yourself in," said Haruhi.

"I think not," said Hikaru. He pushed the girl out of the way and they jumped down from the rooftop into the river.

Once on shore, Kaoru helped Hikaru up since he has more balance then Hikaru.

"Hikaru, try not to shove things anymore," Kaoru suggested, shivering in the cold. He took out his water bottle and filled it up, just in case if they get lost.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident," said Hikaru in a somewhat annoy tone while rubbing his arms. "I didn't realize the cat was also in the picture."

"Fine, fine. We should follow the river. It should take us back to our hideout."

Before Hikaru could even reply, they heard rustling leaves made by multiple footsteps behind their backs. "Don't panic," said Hikaru.

"Don't panic? Those are hungry wolves, Hikaru," Kaoru whispered.

"You don't know that. You have your back at them."

"What? Do you want to stay here to find out then?" Kaoru asked. Hikaru turned around to face Kaoru. They both have the same idea. Better play it safe. They slowly look behind their back, no one was there, but they continued to sneak their way out of the area taking backwards steps.

Once they deem themselves to be safe, they had lost track of the river. Their only way to return back home.

"Perfect," they said.

They walked around the forest for hours, hopelessly lost. They decided to collect some firewood for the night. The sun was setting and the forest was getting darker by the minute. They have collected ample amount of firewood.

"Let's move on then. We should find some place to stay, like a cave of some sort."

"Either that or get eaten by wolves," Hikaru mumbled.

"Don't joke about things like that."

Kaoru took out the gem necklace and stared at the moon, red. The stone never fail to have the same color as the moon Ayaka, but for some reason it was glowing today.

"That's kind of creepy… The light coming out isn't a warm feeling," said Hikaru. Kaoru continued to stare at the moon. What does this mean? Why is it glowing? It hadn't done so in years. All of the sudden, a glittering object flew right passed him. Kaoru dropped the item when it bumped into his hand.

"Was that a bird?"

"Getting spooked out by a little harmless bird, Kaoru?" Hikaru teased.

"Please, don't compare me to you Hikaru," Kaoru laughed, picking up the lost possession. "Although… when do bird glitter?"

"It was glittering?" asked Hikaru. "Kaoru, I think you're getting tired."

"I'm being serious, it also a golden S marking on it."

As they walked through the dark forest, arguing whether what Kaoru see was true or not, a girl with long and wavy brown hair that was half way down the back was carefully trying to keep herself hidden from the animal she was out to get. Her violet eyes watched every move the deer made. She wasn't taking in her surroundings and because of her lack of attention, she missed the traveling twins. "Goddess Ayaka, give me your strength," she prayed, as she took out her arrow. Her master wanted her to hunt down a deer as a test. Sadly, her skills in archery was lower than average.

"Let your skills in archery guild me." She took aim at the deer and pulled the string back. Meanwhile, her two pet fox were playing with each other under her and knocked into her and the basket that has some wild berries in it. She lost her concentration and unknownly released the arrow."Tani! Razu! I spent hours picking those berries!"

"Hikaru, I don't think- Look out!" Kaoru shouted, pushing his brother out of the way. Karou tried to catch the flying object but he missed it and the arrow went through his left side of his chest. Kaoru let out a small gasp and stumbled about. The girl eyes widen and covered her mouth.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru yelled frantically. He quickly caught Kaoru before he fell on the ground. Hikaru gently sat down on the grass, his hand under his brother's head. "Kaoru! Stay with me! Don't you dare close your eyes!"

"Why... am I... always the one saving you?" he asked with a wince, gripping onto Hikaru's shirt and the other holding on the arrow.

"Master… I… What should I do?" she whispered to herself. She dropped her weapons as she ran towards the twins with her two foxes trailing behind her.

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Finally the story is picking up. Please review! I might offend you guys if you're religious or something, but I have no intention doing that, please keep that in mind


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